Parliamentary debates about weapons exclusivity, an Israeli incursion into Halta, and environmental warnings about bombings

The file of arms exclusivity and the decision on war and peace dominated the second day of the government discussion in the House of Representatives, after a number of representatives opposed to Hezbollah focused on the necessity of implementing the state’s decisions in this file and extending its authority, considering that the government’s success is measured by its ability to implement them. On the other hand, these positions were met with high-level responses from Hezbollah representatives, even accusing their colleagues of being the “Israel group.”

The state restores its decisions

A number of representatives made the exclusivity of weapons and the decision to war and peace a main focus in their interventions, linking the state’s restoration of its decision to its ability to protect Lebanon and address its crises.

In this context, the representative of the “Islamic Group” Imad Al-Hout said, “The citizen pays the state the price of its presence and then pays from his pocket the price of its absence,” demanding “a capable state in which there is one sovereignty and one authority,” and that the responsibility for protecting Lebanon be entrusted to the state and its legitimate institutions, calling for “a national security strategy around which the Lebanese people will rally, and a clear national plan to end attacks and occupation.”

Representative Paula Yacoubian considered that “Lebanon’s biggest setbacks were in leaving the state, bringing other people’s wars to our lands, and rebelling against the government’s decisions to restrict weapons.” She also raised the issue of handing over what remained of the “unoccupied south” to the Lebanese state, and called for a decision to be taken on the “Lebanon’s neutrality” law.

In turn, MP Antoine Habashi, a member of the Lebanese Forces bloc, said, “The important thing is to implement the decision to limit arms, and the government’s failure or success depends on the implementation of its decisions,” while MP Michel Douaihy addressed Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, saying: “We are with you, Prime Minister Salam, when making decisions, and we will hold you accountable when they are not implemented,” stressing that “all the decisions you have taken need to be implemented.”

Member of the “Forces” bloc, MP Ghassan Hasbani, linked sovereignty and economic stability, saying: “No sovereignty means no stability, no stability means no investment, and no investment means no advancement.” He called on the government to provide an executive account of what was achieved in controlling borders and crossings, prosecuting the transfer, carrying and storage of weapons, and financing networks, asking: “What was achieved?” What are the obstacles? What is the deadline to complete implementation?

His colleague in the “Forces” bloc, Pierre Bou Assi, also believed that “there is no model in which there is a duality of authority, state, decision of war, peace, and weapons that has succeeded.” “Not one,” calling for the implementation of the decisions taken by the state, while Representative Simon Abi Ramia stressed that Lebanon needs to complete the path that restores to the state alone the decision of war and peace and the exclusivity of weapons. As for Representative Michel Moawad, who launched an attack on “Hezbollah,” he saw that “the solution is sovereignty, peace, and reform,” considering that “more is required of the government; Because every day of delay, the Lebanese pay the price in poverty and humiliation,” and he called for “extending state authority without delay.”

Controversy and accusations... and Berri: “What a shame!”

Moawad's "high ceiling" intervention did not pass quietly; It quickly turned into an intense debate with Hezbollah representatives, in which the “Forces” representative, Ziad Hawat, and the representative, Waddah al-Sadiq, participated, and the two sides exchanged accusations and sharp positions against the backdrop of weapons, the south, and Israel.

Member of the Hezbollah bloc, MP Ihab Hamadeh, responded to Moawad, accusing him of being “foolish,” and the escalation reached the point of accusing the party’s opponents of being “the Israeli group.” On the other hand, Hawat responded, saying: “No one is afraid of you anymore, and let us see your heroism towards the Israelis.”

Waddah Al-Sadiq entered the debate, addressing the issue of Ali Al-Taher Hill, and addressed his opponents by saying: “Who lied to the people and the Lebanese about Ali Al-Taher Hill?”, before accusing them of “bringing Israel into Lebanon.”

As the verbal exchanges escalated and voices rose in the hall, Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri intervened, saying: “What a disgrace to the people.”

The South and negotiations

On the other hand, the interventions of the representatives of the “Development and Liberation” bloc, headed by Berri, and the representatives of “Hezbollah” focused on the south, the Israeli attacks, and the course of the negotiations. Berri bloc member, MP Hani Qubaisi, said that “the negotiations did not work,” hoping that the Lebanese government and state would take a “different position” at the current stage. He believed that “the south needs national solidarity,” considering that Israel escalates its military stance when it sees the Lebanese division, and stressing that “there is an imbalance in the Lebanese political position; Because Lebanon is negotiating under fire.

In turn, Hezbollah MP Raed Berro criticized the government’s performance, considering it “weak and not at the required level.” He addressed the government and said: “They accuse us of confiscating the decision on peace and war, so we delegated to you for years, but what did you do?”

For his part, a member of the Berri bloc, MP Qasim Hashem, called for “an integrated emergency plan with a sustainable national policy for the south so that people can remain in their land,” and asked: “What sovereignty and what sovereignty do we sing about while the aggression continues?”

In the same context, MP Halima Kaqour attacked the “Framework Agreement” and said: “Iran is forbidden to negotiate on behalf of Lebanon, and Lebanon is the one negotiating on its own behalf,” considering that the position on the agreement should not prevent adherence to the exclusivity of arms and the state’s decision.

On a new day of Israeli escalation in southern Lebanon, an Israeli force entered the border town of Halta in the Hasbaya District, before withdrawing to its outskirts, after carrying out searches and combing operations, while information was received about the kidnapping of a resident of the town. This coincides with the escalation of Lebanese concern about the scale of the Israeli bombings in the south, after Environment Minister Tamara Al-Zein warned that their repercussions are not limited to direct destruction, but may extend to geological risks that affect public safety.

The National News Agency reported that the Israeli force withdrew from Halta after its incursion on Wednesday morning, with information received about the kidnapping of the citizen Fadi Abdel-Al. During the operation, patrol members searched a number of homes and carried out sweeping operations with machine guns, in conjunction with bulldozing operations that affected olive groves in the area.

The Israeli force blew up a number of homes, and it was reported that homes were vandalized and solar panels on the ground and on the roofs of buildings were broken. The town was bombarded with three mortar shells, while a shell targeted the vicinity of the houses, and strong explosions were heard in a number of towns in the Arqoub area, the source of which turned out to be explosions carried out by Israeli forces inside Halta.

This operation does not come in isolation from previous Israeli movements in the town and its surroundings, which included incursions, searches, arrests, and acts of bulldozing and sabotage. Halta is located in the Arqoub area, within the Hasbaya District in Nabatieh Governorate, near Kfarshouba and its hills and the Shebaa Farms, in a very sensitive border area from both a geographical and military standpoint.

The Halta location forms part of the border axis extending between Arqoub, Kafr Shuba, and Shebaa. Israel says that its operations in southern Lebanon aim to prevent Hezbollah from rebuilding its capabilities near the border.

In parallel with the events in Halta, the Israeli army targeted the outskirts of Kafr Shuba with an artillery shell, and the bombing also targeted Kafr Tibnit in Nabatieh. In the western sector, Israeli forces carried out violent bombings in the town of Al-Mansouri, south of Tyre, after similar bombings at dawn that targeted homes and valleys, and led to strong concussions that were felt by residents of nearby villages.

Repercussions of the “Ali Al-Taher” bombing

In parallel with developments on the ground, the massive Israeli bombings opened the file of their potential repercussions on the land and the environment. Environment Minister Tamara El-Zein warned that “the successive consequences of massive Israeli bombings in southern Lebanon are not limited to the massive destruction they cause, but go beyond that to risks affecting public safety,” in light of the geological damage and ground disturbances resulting from them.

Al-Zein referred to the bombing of Ali Al-Taher Hill two weeks ago, using about 1,100 tons of explosives, which, according to data from the National Center for Geophysics, generated ground waves similar to those resulting from an earthquake measuring 4.2 on the Richter scale. She pointed out that the explosion occurred about one kilometer from the Rum Fault and about seven kilometers from the Yammouneh Fault. This raises additional risks given the nature, size and location of the explosion.

She recalled the bombing of Majdal Zone using about 80 tons of explosives, which generated ground waves similar to a 3.1-magnitude earthquake, in addition to its direct impact, which, she said, led to the town being split into two halves. She also referred to the bombing in the vicinity of Beaufort Castle, using about 700 tons of explosives, which generated ground waves similar to a 3.8-magnitude earthquake, and citizens felt its concussions over long distances.

Warning of fault activation

Al-Zein confirmed that massive subterranean explosions may, in certain geological conditions, especially when they occur near existing faults, lead to the movement or reactivation of these faults, which may increase the risks of seismic activity. She stressed that the inability to determine the future consequences of these effects does not mean reducing the level of danger or treating it as something that can be ignored.

“Reshaping Geography” and a complaint to the Security Council

Al-Zein stressed that the magnitude of the bombings is not measured only by the amount of direct destruction they cause. Usually, these operations go beyond the direct military dimension to “reshape the geography,” and the resulting damage to the natural and built environment, infrastructure, and homes within a wide geographical area, as a result of violent concussions.

She recalled that these attacks come in parallel with what she described as “environmental genocide,” stressing that the responsibility of the state and the government requires dealing with the level of damage and risks resulting from them in proportion to their seriousness, and not just documenting and enumerating what she described as war crimes.

She explained that she presented these data and risks to the Council of Ministers, which assigned her to prepare a detailed report on the repercussions of the bombings, to be submitted to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates for submission to the UN Security Council and other relevant international bodies.